Holiday greetings

It's my birthday and I get a card from my well meaning aunt: "May our lives by impassioned only by faith... be influenced only by God... be taught only by Christ... Max Lucado". Open card. "May your day and coming year be filled with Him! Happy Birthday"

My aunt is an example of a person who credits her life's positive turn around to finding God. She was a drunk, drug addict, abusive mother, etc. She is now a grandmother and adoptive mother. She divorced her alcoholic partner. She goes to church events and retreats and now praises God for any little thing.

It saddens me that she doesn't see how hard she worked to get where she is. She credits God's work. She says God has changed her life. And in line with this, she also blames the negative on bad influences and lack of her faith in God rather than taking credit / blame for her own bad choices. This is one of the biggest problems I have with religion - the lack of personal credit / blame.

Oh dear, I tried praying to a god not to let any more children starve to death. Nothing happens, why is he so selective. Why not blame god for the bad things you do, oh no it is either the devil or you were bad in a previous life. If it is fact then let them prove it

It really frightens me when recovering addicts adopt religious fanaticism as their drug of choice. Like you said, it completely removes any credit for her own hard work and ability. What happens if something challenges her faith in god? I realize that being addicted to Jesus is generally less destructive than a narcotic addiction, but I still see it as placing responsibility and control for one's life on an external source.

Absolutely. I can't stand it when people thank god for every little thing that goes right, and blame the devil whenever they screw something up. I mean, I get that some people need to believe in god to have the strength to do things, but they're still doing them on their own, and it feels like the sooner they realize that, the MORE they'll be able to do.

It's one thing to thank god for things that you personally made happen, if you want to give credit to someone else for something you did on your own, fine. It just seems so disrespectful to me when people thank god for things OTHER people did. Like when people get better because of doctors, or their lives are saved because of firemen, or a homeless person thank god for food they've received from other people. That's what really irks me.